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The Career Playground

A friend of mine recently asked some advice about helping her son transition into work in technology. She knew I was deeply immersed in tech and Salesforce, and figured that I could help him position himself from a non-tech role to a tech role.

She was right. I’m a master of career transitions – having reinvented myself many times over the last two decades. From the outside looking in, my career path looks a bit winding. Human Rights Nonprofit, Bartender and Rugby Player in New Zealand, Investment Banker, Small Business Lender, Salesforce Consultant.

Yet it would be wrong to look at my circuitous career path and mistake it for aimlessness. Every move was carefully thought out and intentionally built. The very reason I was able to reinvent the next so effectively was that I was deliberate about a) assessing my own personal next and b) going after it!

I often recommend a classic book called “What Color is Your Parachute?” to anyone thinking about a career transition or planning the next. My favorite part of the book is the exercises at the end – where it helps you create stories about what you’ve accomplished, and put together a diagram of your strengths and passions to direct your search for the next.

That’s why I was super excited when Gillian Bruce, admin evangelist at Salesforce.com, told me about a new, free, online Trailhead on Career Development Planning that helps us go through some of these same exercises. Two things really resonated for me with this – 1) start with assessing yourself – your strengths, your passions (and believe me, they can change over time!) and 2) see your career path as a playground, not a ladder.

In two weeks, Gillian has curated an entire day of career-focused speakers and resources in the Moscone West Admin Theater on Thursday, November 9th – the final day of Dreamforce. Whatever your role in the Salesforce ecosystem, this lineup will be sure to reignite you and give you ideas about finding and achieving your own personal next. I’ll be speaking twice on career-related topics as I’m passionate about helping others actualize their passions at work – finding Mentorship in the Real World and transitioning from Admin to Business Analyst as a Solo Admin with Vered Meir.

Here’s to the playground!

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Megan Himan has over fifteen years experience in the nonprofit sector and over ten years working on the force.com platform. She has a unique combination of deep technical skills paired with an ability to strategically convene groups, coach executives and leadership through transitions, and execute on project deliverables. She is Founder & Principal of BrightStep Partners - solutions with strategy for nonprofit success. In September 2017, she was named a Salesforce MVP.